The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-23
SOME COLD COMFORT.
Chairman Cartons Reply to
Sergeant Hollister, ct al.
ON THE PROPER KIND OF OATH,
To Re Taken at the Coming Elections
Another .Nefarious Scheme
Unearthed-It's His Liver.

It has been an open secret that ever
since the Utah Commission issued their
circular of information to the registra-
ton officers of the Territory, giving
their opinion of the disqualiEcations
to which electors are subject under
the new law, the Tribune and its clique,
including Sergeant HOLSTER, of the
Loyal League, have been atwork hatch
ing up scheme by which they hoped
to defeat the honest efforts OF the Com
mission. Their latest move came to
light yesterday, when Chairman Carl
ton sent the following letter to o. j.
Hollister and J. F. Dolly. HOLSTER,
of course, is working in the interests OF
the Loyal League, but just what in
terest Mr.. Dooley, cashier OF Wells,
Fargo's Bank, should have in the mat
Ter is not so easy to conjecture. Ii
either the sergeant or the cashier,
however. received any vast amount OF
comfort from the following well-written
and remari ably logical document, they
are welt ONE to it:
Messrs. r. N. Baskin and j. E. Dooly,
Esq:
Gentlsmsn-Yesterday I received from
each of you a manuscript form of reg
istration oath, both forms being sub
stantially the same. That which was
furnished by Mr. Dooly is given below
(the other has been mislaid):
''That will support the Constitution of
the United States and will aithiully obey
the laws thereof; that will obey the acts OF
unlawful consolidation, incest. adultery and
form cation; hat will no, hereafter, IN any
Territory OF The United States at any time IN
obedience to any alleged reUetGtloR, or TO any
counsel, ddUtce, or command, from any source
lrhdteuer, or u7der any circumstances, enter
into plural or polygdmOuS marriage, or TO
haze or take more 1UiUeS than one. or c0hablt
with more than one woman; that VIII not
at anu time hereafter, directly or indirectly,
aid or abet counsel Or advise, any person TO
have or ia Ike N IRE .wises than one, or TOGO
habit with more than one woman, or TO com.
NIT incest adultery or forn1 alton; that l
am not a bigamist or polygamist;iha Ido not
cohabit polygamousiy with persons or the
other sex; and that I have not been con-
victeo of any of the cffenses above men
toned"
I understand that the purpose for
which these forms have been furnished,
| is to suggest to the Utah Commission,
the propriety of our changing the form
of the registration oath-heretofore pre-
pared by the Commission, by interpolat-
ing the words which | have put in
italics. Besides other changes have
been. In regard to this proposition |
desire to say, in the most respectful
manner, that I cannot see the necessity
or pr ,priety of making such change.
About month ago, the form OF the
oath was promulgated by the Com
mission in Circular for the informG-
ton Of registration officers" These
have long ago been transmitted to all
the deputy registrars OF the Territory
and, later, printed oaths TO the number
of 81, 900 have been distributed all over
the Territory; still, this would rot be
an insuperable obstacle to change OF
the form, if we should be satisfied that
by mistake or inadvertance, we haC
violated the law. After careful con
sideralion we are thoroughly satisfied
that in sugges ting this form of oath W.
have made no mistaken otter words
that the oath which we have formulated
. lis in accordance with the iGW. believ'
! that this is conceded on all hands; bu
r the contention is t1at we might go fur
T Their and keep within the law-that Their
: might be interjected into the oath Ger
: tain exple iives, adjectives, circumlocu
tons and amplitications within tn
}, limits of the law, which might have tn
e effect OF preventing certain classes o
n persons from registering and voting.
!. The answer to this is that il we follow
d the form and pursue the languag
IS of the ldl0. we kn0w we are right,
d we depart from this rule, we ar
t then in a labyrinth of conflict
ing opinions. For, if the registrars ar
# to depart from the language of tn
d law, and each man of the 270 deputie
=. may prepare an oath to suit himself
e the result Will be that every mans RICH
= to vote "a right hitherto held sacred Ii
4 all American communities will depen
,r on the arbitrary will, caprice, or preju
e dice of the registration officers, who i
l. this, as well as other communities, ar
mostly men of little or no learning i
(. the law. l believe that to allow thi
o would be contrary to law, and ba
st precedent that would meet with til
=. condemnation of the executive COY
!, eminent and of all enlightened jurisi
q who took part in the passage of TIL
'. law.
It Similar suggestions have frequentl
st been made to our Commission, bot
A orally and in writing, by registrars an
election judges. This was the oocasio
: of our inserting in our circular to re
e. gistration officers q brief statemer
S enumerating all the disabilities {
q voters under the law of Congress, adj
= ing the following paragraph:
I'd The Commission is of the opinion that Il
u above specifications include all the di
~ abilities 10 which electors are subjec;, u
u. der the laws of Congress, and that I
e. opinions which they may en- ertain upC
is questions of religion or church pelit
should be the subject of inquiry or excl
r sion of any elector.
or
We The following specifications include &
the disabilities to which voters in Uts
are subject under the laws of Congress
No po!ygamist, bigsmist, or any person c
es hapitlng with more than one woman, shs
y be entitled ID register or vote at any ecti,
- in this Territory; nor any person VINO h
Is, been convicted of the crime of incest, u
IT lawful cohabitatioH, adultery, fornicatio
Id bigamy or pOlygamy; nor any person W
Y. associates or cohabits polygamously WI
persons OF the other sex; nor can any pers
rapiStpr vote who hos not -a md